SPARKS, Md. — A blockbuster lineup of lacrosse talent is on tap for the 2021 USA Lacrosse Fall Classic the weekend of Oct. 15-17 at USA Lacrosse headquarters. The lineup includes the reigning gold and silver medalists from the most recent men’s and women’s World Lacrosse championships, the reigning NCAA Division I champions in men’s and women’s lacrosse and some of the world’s best high school-aged players participating in the Brogden Cup.
“No other sport brings together the world champions and the top college teams to compete in an event like this,” said Skip Lichtfuss, director of national teams and high performance for USA Lacrosse. “We’re very excited to challenge our national teams against such great competition and to provide a great showcase of the sport for our fans.”
The U.S. men’s national team, led by Duke head coach John Danowski, will compete for the first time since January 2020, playing games against Canada and the University of Virginia.
The U.S. – Canada men’s lacrosse series has become one of the best international rivalries in any sport with the two nations alternating gold medals at World Lacrosse events since 2002 with the U.S. winning in 2002, 2010 and 2018 and Canada winning in 2006 and 2014. The next men’s world championship is set for 2023 in Southern California. Virginia has won each of the last two NCAA championships (2019 and 2021).
The U.S. women’s national team, led by North Carolina head coach Jenny Levy, is gearing up for next summer’s World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship, which will be hosted by USA Lacrosse at Towson University. The U.S. women, who have won three straight world championships, will play Canada and Boston College during the Fall Classic. Canada has medaled at each of the last three world championships, including silver medals in 2013 and 2017 while Boston College captured its first NCAA championship in 2021 after finishing as the runner-up in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
In addition to the senior national team games, the USA Select U16 and U18 men’s and women’s teams will compete against international competition from Ontario and the Iroquois Nation as part of the Brogden Cup. The USA Select teams are a part of the National Team Development Program (NTDP). The 88 players competing on the USA Select teams came from a pool of more than 1,600 participants in this year’s NTDP process.
Ticket sales and a full schedule for the USA Lacrosse Fall Classic are scheduled to go on sale the week of Sept. 13.
The U.S. National Team trains and plays using best-in-class products from Nike (apparel and footwear), Game On Mouthguards, Gilman Gear (goals), Pearl Lacrosse (balls) and DJO (sports bracing).
The U.S. women’s national team trains and plays using best-in-class equipment from Gait, STX, Maverik and Cascade Lacrosse (goalie helmets). The U.S. men’s national team trains and plays using best-in-class equipment with Maverik, Warrior and Cascade Lacrosse.
In addition to these partners, Hudl and MedStar Health are official sponsors of the U.S. national team program. Team training is also aided by products from Athletic Republic.
